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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. court — of a king
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. net — after costs
  11. file — a line of people
  12. court — of law
  13. file — a tool
  14. pit — a hole
  15. plane — a tool
  16. file — a document
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. pit — in a race
  19. bass — the fish
  20. net — in sport
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. court — for sport
  23. bass — low music
  24. mouse — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com